Posts Tagged ‘fiction’

Reviewer predicts readers won’t be able to put down ‘The Ninth Orphan’, our first book in The Orphan Trilogy

Posted: January 31, 2013 in Morcan Books & Films, The Ninth Orphan
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Amazon reviewer Linda Townsend loved The Ninth Orphan so much she has started reading the prequel (book two) – and is finding it “awesome!”

Here’s her (abridged) review:

A Very Suspenseful Spy Thriller You Won’t Be Able to Put Down!!!!!!

OMG! First of all, please know that this book is outside of the genre I have normally read. However, it will not be the last as I found myself unable to put it down… don’t start it when you need to get to sleep! The Ninth Orphan is the tale of one of a group of children who were genetically manipulated and raised from inception to be operatives for a clandestine organization in a very controlled environment. This is the tale of one of those children who makes a break from the organization that has been the only “parent” he knows. BTW, I’ve now started reading the prequel to this story (and it’s awesome!) I look forward to more great reads from these authors!

For the full review go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC

The Ninth Orphan is available via Amazon as a trade paperback and kindle ebook. To read the first few chapters free, click on the book cover below…

The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1)

For more background on this international thriller, and the ‘goss’ on some of the conspiracies it uncovers, go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/SterlingGateBooks

Book three in The Orphan Trilogy will be released soon courtesy of Sterling Gate Books.

Happy reading! –Lance & James

 

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‘If you like your stories straight up…without any sugar coating, then Fiji is sure to please.’ -Great Historical book reviews

Posted: January 20, 2013 in Fiji: A Novel
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Fiji: A Novel

Our historical adventure romance Fiji: A Novel continues to perform well on Amazon, attracting some compelling reviews.

One of the best – in our humble opinion – is this (abridged) 5-star review from Great Historicals, the site for reviews of historical novels:

If you like your stories straight up, told like it really was, and without any sugar coating, then Fiji is sure to please. This novel transcends gender and will appeal to both male and female readers. This book had a bit of everything – sex, violence, humor, historic detail, and plenty of twists to keep one reading.

Here’s some more (abridged) 5-star reviews for Fiji: A Novel:

***** BRAVO! This book was riveting. I felt like I was right there…This story literally takes you through the history of that region through a fictional story that uses historical facts so seamlessly that it is compelling. -Kim Rhym, book reviewer.

***** If you’re a fan of adventure, history, even romance, you’ll want to pick up a copy of “Fiji: A Novel” and brace yourself for the ride. It’s an intense story that will have you turning the pages long into the night. -Susan M. Heim, acclaimed author, editor of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

***** Authors Lance and James Morcan have taken the history of Fiji in the 19th century and created a well-written, totally absorbing novel. –Alice M. Dinizo, book reviewer.

***** Fiji is an adventure story, a love story and a historic fiction novel all wrapped into one. You are drawn in from the very beginning and taken on a wild ride through the very end. -Monica Stevanovic, book reviewer.

***** Fiji…is not just a religion versus religion, profit for sake thereof, but a story of coming to terms with soul, with sexuality; with a sense of humanity; with a sense of friendship, with a sense of, well, honor.…sit down with some kava and begin a journey not only of adventure, but of heart, and most definitely of soul. -Remy Benoit, historian/author/humanitarian.

***** This is an exciting, historically accurate sketch of life on the Island of Fiji. The extensive research is evident and the plot electrifying. If you are a fan of great historical adventure, plan to stay up late reading this thrilling story. -Beverly J. Rowe, book reviewer.

And here’s a 4-star review we kinda like…

**** …once I got into it, I was hooked… The ability to combine interesting historical fact with a tense and fractious plot line is a skill which these writers employ liberally and made this novel even more enjoyable for me. -The Kindle Book Review.

To read the full reviews, and more, for Fiji: A Novel go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/

Fiji: A Novel is available via Amazon as a kindle ebook and trade paperback.

 

Happy reading! -Lance & James

 

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The Ninth Orphan cracks the quarter-century mark for 5-star reviews on Amazon

Posted: January 13, 2013 in The Ninth Orphan
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The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1)

Book one in our top rated international thriller series, The Orphan Trilogy, has amassed twenty-five 5-star reviews on Amazon, and remains a regular visitor to Amazon’s bestseller lists in the Spy Stories and Technothriller categories.

Here’s a selection of reviewers’ comments:

*****  This psychological thriller really kept me on the edge of my seat! –Susan M. Heim, bestselling author & editor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

***** A well-crafted universe of intrigue that sucks the reader in, allowing us to forget about everything else while reading. –Gregory S. Kuhn, futurist/quantum physicist/author.

 ***** Is the system that generates such horror reparable by one man; or only reparable by recognition and all standing for an end to such abuse? –Remy Benoit, historian/humanitarian/author.

 ***** Full of lots of twists and turns and no dull moments it left me hungry for more. -Amanda Phillips, film director

 ***** Do yourself a favor, read this book, enjoy the journey and find out the surprise ending. –Michael N. Vanatta, book reviewer.

***** This book should come with the warning: Do not start unless you have the time to finish. -Suepat, book reviewer

***** This book has all that I look for in a thriller of this genre – action, fast pace and suspense. -Sandra Dee, book reviewer.

***** Hitman meets The Pretender meets James Bond in this nonstop thriller. -Wandalyn Thomas, book reviewer.

And here’s a 4-star review we kinda like…

**** Mix in a beautiful girl who is first a hostage and then a lover, and the story has a nice mix of directions it can go…This book is fast paced, and I mean fast. -c9cREVIEWS.

 

To read the full reviews, and more, for The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1) go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC

The Orphan Factory, the prequel and book two in the trilogy, is one of the highest review-rated books on Amazon and Goodreads. Meanwhile, the sequel and book three, The Orphan Uprising, will be released soon.

Happy reading!  -Lance & James

 

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Amazon reviewer gives ‘Fiji: A Novel’ 5 stars

Posted: January 2, 2013 in Fiji: A Novel
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Amazon reviewer Monica Stevanovic says “You are drawn in from the very beginning and taken on a wild ride through the very end” in her 5-star review of our historical adventure-romance, Fiji: A Novel.

Here’s Ms Stevanovic’s (abridged) 5 of 5 stars false review:

Fiji is an adventure story, a love story and a historic fiction novel all wrapped into one. It is an exciting tale that intertwines the lives of three groups of people from very different backgrounds (an American adventurer,
English missionaries and various Fijian tribes) and vividly puts you in the middle of 19th century Fiji. Prior to reading this book, I really didn’t know much about Fijian history or their customs, many of which were hard to digest (human sacrifice, cannibalism, etc.)…I still really enjoyed the story. You are drawn in from the very beginning and taken on a wild ride through the very end.

For the full review go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/

To read the first few chapters of Fiji: A Novel free click on the cover below…

Fiji: A Novel

Available via Amazon as a kindle ebook and trade paperback.

(Average Amazon reviewer rating 4 stars).

 

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Happy New Year to all our Followers!

Posted: January 1, 2013 in Books in general, Morcan Books & Films, The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Factory
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James and I would like to wish you and all our valued Followers a Happy New Year and all the best for 2013.

January 2013 marks the launch of The Orphan Uprising, our third book in The Orphan Trilogy. For those who enjoyed books one and two, we predict you’ll love the final instalment in the life of Nine, the ninth-born orphan.

Until the launch, the ‘hard yards’ continue with the current manuscript as we revise, revise, revise. Meanwhile, book one The Ninth Orphan and book two The Orphan Factory are regular visitors to Amazon’s top rated lists in their respective categories and continue to rate highly on that wonderful literary site, Goodreads.com – as does our historical adventure-romance Fiji: A Novel. (A big thank you to our readers!).

Finally, for our fellow writers, here’s a new post on Author Solutions, the worth-a-look Indie book writers’ blog, that caught our eye.

Five tips to getting published in 2013

-by Keith Ogorek

  1. Pick a date when you want to hold a copy of your book. Writing is a process, but publishing is a goal so you need a deadline. And I have found the authors who are successful in self publishing, set a date when they want to hold a copy of their book. Sounds simple, but it is really important.

  2. Decide when is the best time for you to write and make that your routine. I have talked to hundreds of authors and the ones who get to the goal have a discipline about their writing. Most have a better time in the day when they write most productively. What is your best time to write? Do you know when it is? Have you marked out that time on your calendar everyday or most everyday.

  3. Make yourself accountable to help you stay on track. No secret here. Most goals are reached because we have others who help us get there. Find someone to provide encouragement as you write. This could be a friend, a relative or maybe a member of a local or online writers’ group. The Author Learning Center has tools and an online Author Circle that can help.

  4. Select the best publishing path based on your goals, budget and time and talent you have to invest. The Four Paths to Publishing whitepaper can help you understand and evaluate your options. You can download a free copy here.

  5. Plan your book launch event. Just like setting a deadline for holding your book, you want to set a date for a book launch party. Becoming a published author is quite an accomplishment and it is cause for celebration. Be creative. Think about holding it somewhere other an book store. Sell copies of your book and ask those who buy them to go online and write reviews. It will help you build your platform and get word of mouth started.

For more info on this post go to: https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/13bf263138d505af

Here’s to a great 2013.  -Lance

 

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Book three in The Orphan Trilogy soon to be released!

Posted: December 29, 2012 in Morcan Books & Films, The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Factory
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The Orphan Uprising, book three in our international thriller series The Orphan Trilogy, will be released in January, 2013.

A sequel to book one, The Ninth Orphan, it follows the prequel/book two, The Orphan Factory. Both those novels continue to attract stellar reviews and feature in Amazon’s top rated lists in their respective categories incl. Technothrillers etc. (They also rank highly in the prestigious literary site, Goodreads).

The Orphan Uprising storyline resumes five years after The Ninth Orphan ends. Our hero, Nine – Sebastian Hannar, the ninth-born orphan – has married his one true love and they have a beautiful son, Francis. The boy has inherited Nine’s unique DNA. When the shadowy Omega Agency abducts Francis and sends him to one of their underground medical laboratories for scientific testing and experimentation, Nine is forced to come out of retirement to find and rescue him. What follows is a hunt that takes him around the world – from Tahiti to America, Germany, Greenland, Zambia and the Congo – and brings him into violent conflict with his fellow orphans, all elite Omega operatives. As well as being up against the mighty Omega Agency, Nine is battling a serious heart condition and so is on borrowed time. It’s a race against the clock to find his son before Omega can harm the boy – and before his heart gives out.

Let me recommend books one and two in The Orphan Trilogy. They are available through Amazon. Click on the book covers below to read the first few chapters at no charge:

The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1)The Orphan Factory (The Orphan Trilogy, #2)

                          The Ninth Orphan                                                       The Orphan Factory
(Book #1)                                                                            (Book #2)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M9WWKW/

 

Happy holiday reading!     -Lance & James

 

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Writers – here’s a recommended marketing plan for your book

Posted: December 29, 2012 in Books in general, Morcan Books & Films
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Let me recommend Book Club Reading List, a (first class) blog that publishes a newsletter introducing book clubs to authors. They’ve published an excellent article on developing a marketing plan for your book – something that’s all too often overlooked by new and (believe it or not) experienced writers.

As the article’s Author states:

While having a book marketing plan may sound obvious, most survey respondents did not have a marketing plan in place or perform any pre-release marketing whatsoever prior to their book’s launch. In addition, most respondents believed that their lack of planning significantly hindered their book’s success. According to Francene Carroll, author of Shadows of Yesterday, “I didn’t do any marketing for my first book, Shadows of Yesterday … and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is my worst performing book. I was very naive and didn’t realize how much work is involved in promoting your own books.”

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

A good marketing plan should do four things. First, it should help you identify your target audience. Second, it will help you build a platform to cultivate a relationship with your audience. Third, it will provide a schedule of events and milestones leading up to your book’s launch and beyond. Lastly, it will monitor and measure the success of each activity. Your marketing plan should focus on developing both short tail and long tail sales. Short tail sales events give your book an initial burst of sales right out of the gate, then fade as quickly as they started. These type of sales are crucial when launching your book to gain momentum on Amazon. Long tail sales will provide a steady base of sales that come from a deep online presence and the word of mouth that follows.

For the full article go to: http://bookclubreading.com/articles/how-to-sell-your-book/book-marketing-plan/

Book Club Reading List publishes a quarterly newsletter that introduces book clubs to authors who have agreed to make themselves available to participate in book club meetings. Book clubs can contact authors using details provided on our website and arrange for them to attend meetings by Skype, telephone, or in-person (when possible).

 

P.S. Season’s greetings and best for 2013.   –Lance & James

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Amazon review of ‘Fiji: A Novel’ comes with a warning!

Posted: December 17, 2012 in Fiji: A Novel
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A review of our historical, action/adventure/romance Fiji: A Novel – by Amazon reviewer L. Townsend – comes with a warning: “Don’t start this book expecting to be able to put it down before finishing it.”

Review excerpts follow below.

Fiji: A Novel

Excerpts from L. Townsend’s review follow:

4 of 5 stars false 

A Swashbuckling Romantic Adventure Set In The South Pacific!!!!!!

Fiji: A Novel snared my attention from the book’s beginning…

…Lance & James Morcan, the authors, have written an awesome story with a bit
of everything: history, snippets of everyday swashbuckling life in the South
Pacific, a love story, and thrilling adventure.. There’s also shark callers,
flame walkers, convicts, pseudo voodoo and more…

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fiji: A Novel as the authors developed the characters and the story…
The reader will be treated to a multitude of unexpected twists and turns…
Warning: Don’t start this book expecting to be able to put it down before finishing it.
Also, thank you to the authors for the epilogue which lets the reader know what happens to the tribe, islands, and remaining characters in the ensuing years. A much appreciated wrap to the story.

Bottomline: I look forward to reading more by these authors.

To read the full review, or to access the first few chapters of Fiji: A Novel free, or to buy the novel, go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/

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Canadian readers resonate with ‘Fiji’, our historical novel set in 19th Century Fiji

Posted: December 11, 2012 in Fiji: A Novel
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Coinciding with Amazon’s expansion of its kindle ebooks into Canada, our historical adventure-romance Fiji: A Novel has entered Amazon Canada’s bestseller list in the Historical Books category.

Fiji: A Novel

Amazon Top 500 reviewer, Great Historicals, has this to say about Fiji: A Novel in a 5-star review:

Ever since I read the Mutiny on the Bounty Trilogy as a teen, I have been drawn to exotic stories about the South Pacific. Fiji immediately drew my interest and I was more than pleased with this fascinating novel.
If you like your stories straight up, told like it really was, and without any sugar coating, then Fiji is sure to please. This novel transcends gender and will appeal to both male and female readers. The characters in the story fascinated me, evolving and adapting to their circumstances and surroundings. The underlying romance that weaves itself through the story is beautifully written and credible as the couple move from intense dislike to meaningful love.
This book had a bit of everything ‘ sex, violence, humor, historic detail, and plenty of twists to keep one reading. A warning for all readers – in keeping with the authentic tone throughout, you will come across scenes of ritualistic slaughter and cannibalism. A fabulous novel, beautiful for its blunt rawness, exotic scenery, and fascinating storyline. Definitely one to pick up and read. The Kindle version is less than a dollar! A quality book for sure!
To order the kindle ebook version of Fiji: A Novel go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/
Also available as a trade paperback.

J.K. Rowling’s latest novel tops the 2012 Goodreads’ Choice Awards for Best Fiction

Posted: December 9, 2012 in Books in general, Morcan Books & Films
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J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy has topped the 2012 Goodreads’ Choice Awards for Best Fiction.

Our congrats to JK for yet another literary gem, and to Goodreads for the Goodreads Choice Awards – the only major book awards decided by readers. According to Goodreads’ latest post, a total of 1,156,852 readers’ votes were cast!

The Year’s Best Books
The readers have chosen! Announcing the winners of the 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. View the full results in 20 categories, and find great books for your to-read list!
See Winners 1,156,852 Votes Cast
GRCA Logo
Fiction Mystery & Thriller Historical Fiction Nonfiction
The Casual Vacancy Gone Girl The Light Between Oceans Quiet
Paranormal Fantasy Humor Young Adult Fiction Goodreads Author
Shadow of Night Let's Pretend This Never Happened The Fault in Our Stars Insurgent
View winners in all 20 categories »

To view the complete list of Best Fiction nominees go to: http://www.goodreads.com/award/choice/2012

Well done Ms Rowling and well done Goodreads and Goodreads’ members!

-Lance

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